The present invention relates generally to assembling and printing compound documents, and more particularly, assembling multiple files from different types of document generating application programs under one umbrella program and then printing those files in the desired format at the desired locations from within the umbrella program.
Many application programs used in personal computers to generate documents generate a single specific type of file. For example, word processing programs such as MS Word(copyright) and Corel""s Wordperfect(copyright) create text documents. Spreadsheet programs such as MS Excel(copyright) and Lotus 1-2-3(copyright) generate and manipulate data that is presented in a table of rows and columns. Graphics applications such as painting and drawing programs create documents in a graphical file format. Documents created by different document generating application programs in different file formats are often assembled into a single compound. A sophisticated business document, for example, might include chapters or sections of text created by a word processing program, charts created by a spreadsheet program, and pictures created in a graphics program. Sometimes, a presentation program is used to merge separate pieces of information from other programsxe2x80x94text from a word processing program and graphics from a drawing program for example, into a single document. Once the drawing is embedded in the word processing document, its content can no longer be manipulated. If the drawing needs to be changed, the user must call up the drawing program, retrieve the original drawing, edit the original drawing with the drawing program and then replace the drawing in the text document. Alternatively, and for longer and more complex documents, the different pieces of the document are printed separately, assembled, copied and then distributed to the end user. This is particularly true where the various pieces of the complex document are generated at diverse geographic locations.
It would be desirable to assemble the pieces of a complex document electronically, even lengthy complex documents made up of many different files and file formats, and then distribute the finished document for printing at or near the final destinations for all copies of the document. This electronic assembly before printing could minimize the need to print each piece of the document once at a single location, assemble the pieces of the document together, make copies of the finished document and then manually distribute those copies through the mail, by courier or by fax. It would also be desirable to provide this type of electronic compilation of a complex document and distributed printing under an umbrella program that preserves the underlying functionality of the individual document generating application programs to retain the ability to edit pieces of the document.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a system for assembling the various pieces of a compound document that may be created in different formats and/or by different document generating application programs, while preserving the integrity of those individual file formats, and printing the fully assembled compound document. The invention may be generally characterized as (1) arranging individual document files created by different document generating application programs , MSWord(copyright), MSExcel(copyright), and Adobe Acrobat(copyright) for example, in different file formats (*.doc, *.xlc, *.pdf) in the order that they will appear in the compound document and then (2) launching the corresponding document generating application program to print each file in the arranged order and thereby print the compound document. In one preferred embodiment of the invention, each individual document file is printed by its respective application program to a page description language (PDL) file (rather than being sent directly to the printer), the individual PDL files are then grouped into a single print job and sent to the printer.
It is expected that the invention will typically be implemented through an umbrella program (sometimes referred to as the xe2x80x9cmasterxe2x80x9d program) through which the user instructs the computer to arrange the document section files in their native format and then launch the document generating application programs (sometimes referred to as the xe2x80x9cslavexe2x80x9d programs) to print those files. The invention, and the umbrella program used to implement the invention, may include other features. In one embodiment, the user may insert separator pages between chapters, sections or other divisions of the document. In another embodiment, the print job is sent to the back-up printer if the first printer fails.
The invention may also include a notification system through which the user is alerted to the status of the print job, particularly any problems with the print job. Printers can now be controlled remotely at the user""s personal computer through the use of a simple network management protocol (SNMP). Hewlett-Packard""s JetAdmin(copyright) utility, for example, allows the user to effectively see and use the printer control panel at his or her personal computer. Using the SNMP protocol and this type of remote control feature, the user""s computer can monitor the status of the printer. If the printer encounters a problem, it generates an error message. This error message is received at the user""s personal computer. The error message may be displayed visually, audibly or it may prompt a call to the user""s pager to alert the user to the problem.
In another embodiment of the invention, the user may view the compound document at any time during the process of arranging its contents. In this embodiment of the invention, the individual document files, separator files and the like are converted to a portable document file (PDF) format and made available for viewing through, for example, the print preview function. In this way, the user can readily visualize the overall document to ensure has been arranged properly before the document is sent to the printer.
The document assembly and printing system of the present invention allows a user to print and collate in one operation as many copies of a complex document that are needed, and to print those documents at any desired location. The print job may be left unattended for long periods of time, overnight for example, as long as the printer has an adequate supply of paper and color paper or other media may be used to separate chapters, sections or other parts of the document. The invented system also allows the entire print job, if desired, to be handled by one person using a computer dedicated to complex document assembly and printing with a single printer or group of printers at various distribution sites.